Over the last several months, we’ve met three fathers of motivation theory and examined their ideas and principles.
Jim CastigliaHere is a quick recap:
You first encountered the acclaimed Abraham Maslow and his five-level ‘hierarchy of needs.’ From lowest level to highest, they are:
- Survival or physiological needs;
- Safety or security needs;
- Social needs;
- Ego-status needs, and
- Self-actualization needs.
Next, you got to know Frederick Herzberg and his ‘two-factor theory of motivation’ where you gained an understanding of the difference between ‘hygienes’ which have to do with the environment in which one works and primarily serve to prevent job dissatisfaction, and ‘motivators’ like achievement, recognition, the work itself, the level of responsibility, and the opportunity for advancement and growth — all factors that lead to high levels of job satisfaction.
And last month, I presented Douglas McGregor, where you were exposed to his Theory X and Theory Y perspectives. I asked you to really examine your ideas about your employees and how they might line up with either theory.
What Your People Really Want
This month we’ll look at what employees themselves have said about the topic of motivation, and I think you’ll be as surprised as my coaching clients are!
Bob Nelson, in his New York Times Best Selling book, 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, reports a study done by Dr. Gerald H. Graham of Wichita State University of 1,500 employees in scores of work settings. Graham found the most powerful motivator was personalized, instant recognition from their managers.
That’s what employees said mattered the most: recognition for a job well done.
The next four motivators were:
- The manager writes personal notes about good performance.
- The organization uses performance as the basis for promotion.
- The manager publicly recognizes employees for good performance.
- The manager holds morale-building meetings to celebrate successes.
What’s interesting is that only 42% of the respondents felt their managers used the top motivating technique. That means 58% of employees never received personal congratulations for a job well done.
Rosabeth Moss Kantor, the director and chair of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative, once stated, “Recognition is so easy to do and so inexpensive to distribute that there is simply no excuse for not doing it.”
Two Things People Want More than Sex and Money
American business icon and master of motivation Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics ($2.7 billion in sales) and for whom I worked three years, said, “There are two things people want more than sex and money … recognition and praise.”
Everyone has heard about the “pink Cadillacs,” but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The company offered many different prizes and rewards for performance.
I present to you another study (Lindahl; Kovach) on what employees ranked as the top 10 most important motivators. Managers were asked to rank the same list. Note the ‘disconnect’ between what employees think and what managers believe.
Employees ranked the following (the number in parentheses is how managers ranked the item)
- Full appreciation for work done (8)
- Feeling “in” on things (10)
- Sympathetic help with personal problems (9)
- Job security (2)
- Good wages (1)
- Interesting work (5)
- Promotion & growth opportunities (3)
- Personal loyalty to workers (6)
- Good working conditions (4)
- Tactful disciplining (7)
Note that employees ranked good wages as #5! Managers ranked wages as #1.
Don’t be one of those managers who aren’t fully aware of what employees really want. And, work your best to give it to them, noting Rosabeth Moss Kantor's words of advice above.
Jim Castiglia is the founder of Business Street Fighter Consulting and supports entrepreneurial business owners in their desire to grow and maximize the value of their business. He can be reached by email at JimC@BSF.consulting or by phone at 919.263.1256. Visit www.BSF.consulting
